Honorary Heart of Sarajevo of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival to John Turturro

(Patria) - As recognition for exceptional contribution to the film industry and outstanding acting, screenwriting and directing talent, John Turturro will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival.

Never forgetting his Brooklyn roots, Turturro has achieved a global impact with his versatile work, making him one of the most respected filmmakers of today.

“We decided to do the right thing and give our Heart to John Turturro. With a career spanning more than four decades, he has delivered unforgettable performances in a diverse range of roles. His dedication to the craft, versatility, and ability to bring depth and authenticity to every character he embodies have made him a pleasure to watch every time he appears in a scene,” said Jovan Marjanović, director of the Sarajevo Film Festival.

John Turturro studied at SUNY New Paltz and the Yale School of Drama. He has worked with numerous acclaimed filmmakers, appearing in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever, Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money, Robert Redford's Quiz Show, Francesco Rosi's The Truce, Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd, Tom DiCillo's Box of Moonlight, and Nanni Moretti's My Mother.

In 2004, he acted in the film Secret Passage, a historical drama by Bosnian director Ademir Kenović. As a frequent collaborator of Joel and Ethan Coen, Turturro has acted in several of their films. For his leading role in the Coen brothers' Barton Fink, he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival and the David di Donatello award. He also appeared in their films The Hudsucker Proxy, Miller's Crossing, and The Big Lebowski, where he played the iconic character Jesus Quintana. In 2020, Turturro reprised Quintana in The Jesus Rolls, a film he wrote, directed, and starred in.

He won the Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for his directorial debut, the film Mac. Other films he has worked on as director/screenwriter include Illuminata, Love and Cigarettes, Fading Gigolo, The Nutcracker: The Untold Story, and The Jesus Rolls.

In television, Turturro was nominated for a SAG Award for his role as Howard Cosell in Monday Night Mayhem and again nominated for The Bronx Is Burning. He won an Emmy Award for his guest appearance on the series Monk and received nominations for a Golden Globe and SAG Award for the HBO series The Night Of. He will also be seen in the second season of Apple's series Severance.

During the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, John Turturro will also hold a masterclass, providing insight into his rich career and craft. He will also attend a screening of the acclaimed Coen brothers film Barton Fink, in which he played the title role.

The 30th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from August 16 to 23, 2024.

Previous recipients of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo award are:

Mark Cousins (2023.), Lynne Ramsay (2023.), Charlie Kaufman (2023.), Jesse Eisenberg (2022.), Ruben Östlund (2022.), Sergei Loznitsa (2022.), Paul Joseph Schrader (2022.), Wim Wenders (2021.), Michel Franco (2020.), Mads Mikkelsen (2020.), Tim Roth (2019.), Isabelle Huppert (2019.), Alejandro González Iñárritu (2019.), Paweł Pawlikowski (2019.), Nijaz Hastor (2018.), Nuri Bilge Ceylan (2018.), Oliver Stone (2017.), John Cleese (2017.), Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart (2016.), Stephen Frears (2016.), Robert De Niro (Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016.), Benicio Del Toro (2015.), Atom Egoyan (2015.), Agnès B. (2015.), Danis Tanović (2014.), Gael García Bernal (2014.), Béla Tarr (2013.), Roberto Olla (2013.), Branko Lustig (2012.), Emil Tedeschi (2011.), Jafar Panahi (2011.), Angelina Jolie (2011.), Dieter Kosslick (2010.), Manfred Schmidt (2009.), Kat Veters (2008.), Steve Buscemi (2007.), Mike Leigh (2006.), Gavrilo Grahovac (2006.), Marco Mueller (2005.).